Add article

_includes/navigator.njk

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 {% for link in metadata.navigatorLinks %}
 	<div class="navigatorItem">
 		<a href="{{ link.linkURL }}">
-			<img src="{{ link.iconURL }}">
+			<img alt="" src="{{ link.iconURL }}">
 			<p>{{ link.linkDisplay }}</p>
 		</a>
 	</div>

content/blog/a-plebeians-review-of-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt.md

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+---
+title: "A Plebeian’s Review of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt"
+description: "I tried really, really hard to get into this game."
+date: 2025-05-04
+tags:
+  - Gaming
+  - Game Review
+synopsis: "I tried really, really hard to get into this game."
+imageURL: /img/witcher_3/witcher3_en_screenshot_screenshot_13_1920x1080_1433341624.webp
+imageAlt: "A screenshot of Geralt's scowling face."
+---
+The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a fantasy RPG in which you play as ~~Ged~~ ~~Gerd~~ ~~Gerald~~ Geralt, a super masculine generic-white-man protagonist who grumbles everything he says like Batman. Hopefully you like Geribald, because you don't get to customize him in any way. You'll control Gabriel from a third-person perspective, awkwardly hovering over his right shoulder as he trudges around wherever it is that he lives. The map is large, so in order to spare you too much trudgery Giovanni has a horse that he can ride insofar as it doesn't get stuck on any rocks, stumps, shrubbery, or especially stout blades of grass. The horse is named after an insect of some kind.
+
+As he rides about the scenery, Grayson will run into all sorts of gurgling monsters that he will attempt to defeat by swinging one of his two swords at them: one silver, which is good for some monsters, and one steel, which is good for others, for some reason. He also has a crossbow with a fire-rate that may well be slower than his refractory period[^1]. Oh, and Gavin is also a witcher, not to be confused with something so compelling as a witch. This means that he can sometimes shoot different colored lights from his hand, and has some sort of smell-o-vision a la [Dog's Life for PS2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcHKPjCGAX4). Combat is mostly an exercise in clicking wildly while watching needlessly acrobatic sword-swinging animations play.
+
+I am told that the *proper* way to play this game is on the hardest difficulty, wherein the player will have the pleasure of milling about collecting various herbs and other ingredients in order to create a variety of potions and sword…oils…(?) without which completing the game is impossibly difficult. After repeatedly dying during an introductory mission escorting some sort of demon baby ten meters up a dirt path I chose instead to set the game difficulty to "Just the Story," which somehow still finds me killed time and time again on missions that the game recommends for players at or below my level.
+
+Unlike, say,  Skyrim, talking to NPCs rarely nets Gerardo more than a wet cough, so quests are to be found at job-boards posted at each human settlement. You might think that this would discourage exploration and lower the sense of immersion in the game, but after thirteen hours of game-play to date I can say with confidence that yes, in fact it does. So in a world seemingly devoid of any interesting discoveries to be made, if guiding Roach the horse from obstruction to obstruction across the landscape while vaguely sad music plays isn't enough to keep you interested in the open world of The Witcher 3, you can skip the rather beautiful scenery altogether via the fast-travel system.
+
+When the few of us who aren't utterly enamored with this game say anything to that effect, we're often dismissed as pedestrian and told that it's *all about the story,* so let's get into that. What I know so far is that Gideon's adopted daughter was nicked by some folk in hoods. Why? I couldn't tell you. I'm stuck trying to kill a werewolf in "Just the Story" mode so that I can progress the story. Maybe I need to craft a sword-oil or something. Honestly, I don't know that I can be bothered.
+
+[^1]: I hear we'll find out later in the game.

content/blog/hono-sandalwood-incense-review.md

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+---
+title: "Incense Review: Hono Sandalwood"
+description: "Checking out some sticks from a local store selling Japanese incense."
+date: 2025-04-19
+tags:
+  - Incense
+  - Incense Review
+synopsis: "Checking out some sticks from a local store selling Japanese incense."
+imageURL: /img/hono_sandalwood/hono_sandalwood_square.webp
+imageAlt: "A closeup photo of the small hono Sandalwood box atop a neat row of incense sticks, beside a small shiny white ceramic burner. The burner is plain, and square, with a small hole in the middle in which to insert an incense stick."
+---
+I'm forever keeping my eyes peeled for brick-and-mortar stores in my city that sell decent incense, particularly Japanese incense. As such, I was delighted to discover [Five Elements Home](https://www.fiveelementshome.com/) in the beautiful Chicago neighborhood of Andersonville. On my first visit to the store, I darted right past the beautiful imported Japanese ceramics and textiles to the incense section.
+
+My taste in incense is fairly traditional. I tend to enjoy incense that makes use of natural, whole-plant ingredients, and compositions based around classic aromatic woods, spices, herbs, and resins. I did feel a touch let down then upon discovering that the collection at Five Elements Home is decidedly modern. On display are hibi incense matches, paper incense, and sticks with fragrances such as coffee, citrus, and white peach, which are impossible to make with traditional ingredients and processes. As a result, while my partner and I have visited on a few occasions since to buy tea, it was only recently that I decided to take a gamble on some of the incense on offer. I picked up a couple of boxes, including an adorable wee box of hono Sandalwood.
+
+The box, which folds open like a tiny carton of cigarettes, contains thirty little sticks and a small ceramic burner not unlike the ones that come in various Nippon Kodo offerings. Only eight centimeters long apiece, the short sticks are very fragrant out of the box: spice, sandalwood, and a hint of something rather cool—camphor, perhaps? The sticks smell like everything you want in a traditional Japanese style incense stick, but the pungency gives me pause.
+
+[![A closeup photo of the small hono Sandalwood box atop a neat row of incense sticks, beside a small shiny white ceramic burner. The burner is plain, and square, with a small hole in the middle in which to insert an incense stick.](/img/hono_sandalwood/hono_sandalwood_w.webp "I do enjoy the packaging format, and the little burner is a nice inclusion.")](/img/hono_sandalwood/hono_sandalwood_w.webp)
+
+In the burn, Hono Sandalwood opens with an unfortunately powerful hit of burnt sugar. I always try to withhold judgment on a stick until the first ash has fallen; off-notes upon lighting are not at all uncommon.[^1] Still, the strength of this off-note stunned me for a moment. What followed was was mostly spice (predominantly clove, to my nose) and a strong creamy note of Indian sandalwood.[^2] The cooling aspect of the unlit sticks was lost, which came as no surprise as the amount of camphor needed to come through in the burn, although still minuscule, tends to make unlit sticks sing of that characteristic 'frozen-onions' fragrance that borneol imparts.[^3] There is a subtle sweetness present, which I assume is just from the sandalwood as I don't detect the round, vanillic complexity of benzoin.
+
+This is not a stick I want to sit next to as it burns. The fragrance is powerful, and accompanied by the sort of off-notes I'd expect from a cheaper oil-based incense. That burnt-sugar note I mentioned earlier continues quietly throughout the burn also. The fragrance easily fills my office, and it lingers in the room for a while after the stick is extinguished. From a distance, it's not unpleasant; the fragrance itself is inoffensive. I'm actually quite happy to have one of these burning at the far end of the room; my qualm is only that if I was happy to contend with all of these off-notes, I could achieve a similar result by burning a centimeter of a much cheaper Indian style sandalwood stick, rather than paying eighteen US dollars for a very small box of very small sticks of Japanese incense.
+
+One of the gentlemen manning the store mentioned to me that everything in in stock was imported directly to the store from Japan, and is otherwise largely unavailable in the U.S. I love this idea, but still—while these hono sticks aren't going to gather dust in my incense drawer—I expect I may find myself wishing I could have just picked up a box of Shunkohdo Sarasoju for my sandalwood fix instead.
+
+[^1]: For example Baieido's Kobunboku, a favorite at the moment, emits a brief note when lit that reminds me of cigarettes.
+[^2]: Reminiscent of Nippon Kodo's Kayuragi Sandalwood sticks, which are also almost certainly oil-based, but I very much enjoy nonetheless.
+[^3]: Looking at you again, Kobunboku.

content/blog/yi-xin-pikake-jasmine-review.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ In the burn, the stick opens up with a beautiful sandalwood note: creamy, and sl
 
 Typical of Ken's work, this stick is also very clean, with no notable binder notes, smokiness, or acrid off-notes, even when you are sitting very close to the lit stick. Incense makers of any ilk will know how difficult this can be to achieve. I also appreciate the balance here; the fragrance doesn't even approach that sharp, cloying place that less expertly prepared floral incense tends to go. Building up in the room, the impression is predominantly that of a slightly cooler, floral sandalwood. While some sticks tend to undulate between notes, staving off olfactory fatigue, these are quite consistent and so greatly benefit from decent air circulation in the room; in fact, I rather prefer to have them burning in a room that I'm going in and out of frequently during what is quite a short but very enjoyable burn time.
 
-Overall, Yi-Xin's Pikake Jasmine is an excellent entry into the notoriously difficult floral category of incense. As is often the case with Ken's work, this incense could serve as an excellent reference for incense makers exploring what floral incense can be, and for those who simply enjoy burning incense, it's about as good of a floral expression as you can get in combustible incense, built on top of high-quality aromatic woods. Simple, approachable, and well-executed, I'd be happy to recommend this incense to anyone. My only regret is that I've run out.
+Overall, Yi-Xin's Pikake Jasmine is an excellent entry into the notoriously difficult floral category of incense. As is often the case with Ken's work, this incense could serve as a reference for incense makers exploring what floral incense can be, and for those who simply enjoy burning incense, it's about as good of a floral expression as you can get in combustible incense, built on top of high-quality aromatic woods. Simple, approachable, and well-executed, I'd be happy to recommend this incense to anyone. My only regret is that I've run out.
 
  [^1]: The last trail-burn test I performed with jasmine flowers smelled more like Marmite than jasmine!
  [^2]: Many non-extract incense ingredients such as actual powdered woods, flowers, and resins don't have much fragrance until the stick is lit. It's not uncommon for natural, whole-plant based incense to have close to no fragrance at all before lighting, especially after it has aged.

content/changelog.md

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ title: Nathan Upchurch | Changelog
 structuredData: none
 ---
 # Changelog
+* 2025-04-19
+	* Improve post list image sizing on mobile.
 * 2025-04-08
 	* Updated the [index page](/) with a new "navigator" feature, and removed the post lists for a cleaner look.
 	* On the individual [tag](/tags/) pages: got rid of the big RSS logo, tweaked the text a little, added a "subscribe" button, and moved the buttons above the post list.

public/css/index.css

@@ -1,14 +1,3 @@
-@keyframes slide-in-blurred-bottom {
-	0% {
-		filter: blur(20px);
-		opacity: 0;
-	}
-	100% {
-		filter: blur(0);
-		opacity: 1;
-	}
-}
-
 /* Defaults */
 :root {
 	--font-family: "Fraunces", serif;
@@ -44,10 +33,6 @@
 
 /* Design Tokens */
 :root {
-	/* Animations */
-	--slide-in-blurred-bottom: slide-in-blurred-bottom 0.75s
-		cubic-bezier(0.23, 1, 0.32, 1) both;
-
 	/* Colors */
 	--color-gray-20: #e0e0e0;
 	--color-gray-90: #333333;
@@ -216,7 +201,6 @@ blockquote:before {
 	}
 }
 body {
-	animation: var(--slide-in-blurred-bottom);
 	font-size: var(--step-0);
 	margin-inline: auto;
 	max-width: var(--grid-max-width);
@@ -353,6 +337,7 @@ h1 {
 	font-style: normal;
 	line-height: calc(var(--step-4) * 0.25 + var(--step-4));
 	padding-bottom: var(--space-l);
+	text-wrap: balance;
 }
 h2 {
 	font-size: var(--step-2);
@@ -361,11 +346,15 @@ h2 {
 		"wght" 350,
 		"SOFT" 20,
 		"WONK" 1;
+	line-height: calc(var(--step-2) * 0.25 + var(--step-2));
 	padding-bottom: var(--space-s);
 	padding-top: var(--space-s);
+	text-wrap: pretty;
 }
 h3 {
 	font-size: var(--step-1);
+	line-height: calc(var(--step-1) * 0.25 + var(--step-1));
+	text-wrap: pretty;
 }
 .logo {
 	filter: var(--logo-filter);
@@ -380,26 +369,19 @@ main > p > a > img {
 	width: 100%;
 	padding-top: var(--space-l);
 }
-.post > p,
-section > p {
-	margin: 0;
-	padding-bottom: var(--space-s);
-	&:has(wc-card) {
-		padding-bottom: 0;
-	}
-}
 pre {
 	grid-column: var(--span-grid);
 }
 p {
-	margin-top: 0;
-	margin-bottom: 0;
+	margin-block: 0 1lh;
 }
 p,
 li {
 	font-size: var(--step-0);
 	line-height: calc(var(--step-0) * 0.5 + var(--step-0));
+	text-wrap: pretty;
 }
+
 th {
 	font-variation-settings:
 		"opsz" 25,
@@ -602,11 +584,11 @@ code {
 /* Footnotes */
 .footnotes-list {
 	font-style: italic;
-	margin-top: 0;
-	margin-bottom: 0;
+	margin-block: 1lh;
 	> li,
 	> li > p {
 		font-size: var(--step--1);
+		line-height: calc(var(--step--1) * 0.25 + var(--step--1));
 	}
 }
 .footnote-item::marker {
@@ -650,6 +632,7 @@ header .home-link {
 	grid-column: 1 / 1;
 }
 .logo {
+	aspect-ratio: 1 / 1;
 	width: var(--space-l-xl);
 }
 
@@ -722,7 +705,6 @@ nav ul {
 }
 
 /* Navigator */
-
 .navigator {
 	display: grid;
 	gap: var(--space-2xs) var(--space-2xs);
@@ -743,6 +725,7 @@ nav ul {
 			text-decoration: none;
 			width: 100%;
 			img {
+				aspect-ratio: 1 / 1;
 				filter: var(--logo-filter);
 				width: var(--space-m);
 			}
@@ -926,10 +909,12 @@ time,
 	}
 	.post-image-container {
 		margin-left: 0;
+		min-height: var(--space-10xl);
 		width: 100%;
 	}
 	.post-image-container img.post-image {
 		width: 100cqw;
+		height: var(--space-10xl);
 	}
 	.postlist-link {
 		padding: 0;